(Click images to enlarge) We started off the day painting the eaves of the administration building at Living Hope Health Care Center while part of the group helped to organize the library at King of King’s church, and others visited with patients in the Health Center. By the time my group arrived to Living Hope we noticed the stain we applied to the back porch yesterday must have dried just in time to block the rain we got last night. We finished painting the eaves pretty early, so we broke for lunch. Some of us ran across the street to get ice cream again, and when we got back we realized we had some time to kill before our rides showed up. We spent the early afternoon hanging out with Mike, Washington, and Brighton, the three guys from Zimbabwe we temporarily employed to help us do the painting. Some played cards and others napped while Mike showed Travis and I how to eat guavas. We picked them straight off the tree and enjoyed their sweet strawberry-watermelon flavor.
Our rides showed up, so we all split up into our groups and went to the various after-school children’s clubs run by Living Hope. One location was closed today, so a group of us went to a new location at Overcome Heights, which is near the Capricorn club where other students go. At Overcome Heights, we sang and danced with the kids, and helped them make “I love you” hearts for their families. On our way out, we ran into a huge truck on one of the small dirt lanes dividing the neighborhood. We had to drive in reverse to let the truck through, a feat quite difficult with scores of children and dogs chasing your car.
The groups at Red Hill and Masi (short for Masiphumelele) also had another action-packed afternoon. The kids can be a little rowdy at times, but only because they all love the new found attention. At every site we endlessly hear “take my picture” and have been busy showering all of the children with lots of love. After acting out a skit and teaching some songs, the group had a long play time with the children. For the girls this meant taking down their ponytails and submitting to the children’s club beauty shop! While the boys, especially Travis, were getting quite the workout giving piggyback rides, playing soccer, and tossing up children one by one. While saying our goodbyes this evening everyone started to realize how hard it is going to be Tuesday afternoon when we won’t be able to say, “See you tomorrow.”
By: Bryce